August 26, 2004
moscow to ekaterinburg
July 3rd, 2004 We are now on the train to Ekaterinburg and I have to write quickly because there is no main power on the train. Spent the night sleeping on the train. On Friday, yesterday my wife prepared food for the train in Tuete Marina’s kitchen. My wife and step son bought for us high class tickets without realizing that food was included in the ticket price. So now we wait to be invited for lunch in the dining car, after downing a home prepared breakfast. Thought I would have the opportunity to take lots of pictures on the train but our window’s pretty small – have to see what the dining car offers in that department.
Yesterday and the day before we swam in a small lake thirty miles out of Moscow near a town called Lubnoi. Very nice little lake. Very freaking cold. I now have a bit of an ear infection it feels like in my left ear. We are due to arrive in Ekaterinburg this morning at 5:30. Not sure who will meet us – probably we will go by bus or taxi to Mother in law’s place. The sun has gone almost down outside the train window both wife and step son are engaged in reading and or sleeping already. As for me, I slept soundly two hours post lunch so I am as wide awake as a jack rabbit being hunted.
This Russian countryside is quite something to see. Very similar to Canadian prairies, and also to the foothills of the Canadian Rockies area in Western Alberta. Same vegetation, same trees. There are a lot of birch and spruce trees lining either side of the tracks here. Saw a whole bunch of quaint looking farm dachas that look a whole lot like Western/Southern Alberta farm houses with one major difference. Here, every house we pass is old and rundown, as if waiting for the national economy to one day soon bounce back – no new paint, harly any new buildings anywhere. In the backyard of many of the houses, however, there is evidence of how sturdy Russians really are when it comes to surviving the tough years. Green houses appear growing who knows what, but surely all is saleable, after feeding the family first.
It was the same where Volodia has his dacha. Well, almost the same. What it looked like to me: these were fancy houses from a time before Peristroika that were abandoned (by former government officials? I was hesitant to ask, actually), and now post peristroka folks with fledgling yet high levels of inititative came by and occupied them and began renovating piece by piece. As in, no money down, no money ever.... I'm just sayin', that's what it looked like to ME.
Some of the places looked very nice with BMW X5's, a couple of topline 2005 merc's, and multicolored 2005 peugeot 307, sport-series cars parked outside of them. One place in particular stood out. It was a corner lot, big, facing the pond, and built into the hill. Every bright red brick on this property exuded a fresh newness and the fences around the places were nice and new with bright black and white chainlink contrasting nicely with the red brick. Two BMW X5's grey and black, completed the scene, gracing the paving stone driveway in a subtle, powerful stance.
As we walked silently by, on our way to the food store, beside the vehicles mentioned above, a couple of big Russian fellers with ripped off sleeve shirts and obligatory tatooes, stood taking a ciggy break, while simultaneously guarding... ...something.
The actual dachas have all been there along time, most of them in the area in different stages of renovation as middle to upper middle-class Russian owners spend time and money each summer to make something of their summer properties. We wanted to see more of Moscow so Volodia based us for two days in his family’s flat. That presented the opportunity to compare his flat and his dacha.
His flat is a typical two bedroom basic unit in Suburbian Moscow. Inside is immaculately clean. Inside is very small compared to a typical two-bedroom apartment in Edmonton's downtown area. The building itself - crap. Smelled like cat-crap in the hall in fact. No building maintenance. The bulb in the lift was burned out. Plaster falling off in great chunks. This was outside in the common area mind you. Two large metal doors with several dead-bolts of various designs lead the way into his flat. Very nice hardwood flooring. Kitchen - lovely. Small but lovely. Very nice SOLID WOOD kitchen cabinets with curved glass in the curved doors - all from Italy, bought at a Buckjivanjees homecenter type place - same kind of place we bought our reno stuff for mom2's balcony revamp. Upright Piano for Olga's lessons now, Phillips surround sound entertainment center, Nice Divan fold out bed in living room. Olga's room - nice size, computer table, one person bed.
Main bedroom - had a balcony for hanging wet cloths. One Bathroom and one toilet. They are seperated and TINY!!! I bumped my head on the door knob of the toilet room all three times in three days that I got up and bent down to pull my pants up upon crap completion. No toilet fans in Russia! I never saw any. Stinky! Luckily, Teute Marina had intervened already by placing an easy to find airfreshener spray can near the toilet! Lucky for the rest of the people in the house.... So that's basically Volodia's flat. They stay there for the convenience of being in Moscow for Volodia's work and for Olga's schooling.
The Dacha is paradise, comparitavely. Big, two story, house. A new billiard table upstairs in the main big room. two bedrooms, living room full bath and russian sauna on the main floor. Besides the pool table room, theres another bedroom upstairs that opens on a landing just where the stairs come up. THe whole dacha upstairs is finished in pinewood panelling and wood laminate flooring. Absolutely nice. Also half bath upstairs. They put us upstairs. Dima in the pool hall, us in the third bedroom. Very nice and peaceful for taking a rest, I tell you.
Yesterday and the day before we swam in a small lake thirty miles out of Moscow near a town called Lubnoi. Very nice little lake. Very freaking cold. I now have a bit of an ear infection it feels like in my left ear. We are due to arrive in Ekaterinburg this morning at 5:30. Not sure who will meet us – probably we will go by bus or taxi to Mother in law’s place. The sun has gone almost down outside the train window both wife and step son are engaged in reading and or sleeping already. As for me, I slept soundly two hours post lunch so I am as wide awake as a jack rabbit being hunted.
This Russian countryside is quite something to see. Very similar to Canadian prairies, and also to the foothills of the Canadian Rockies area in Western Alberta. Same vegetation, same trees. There are a lot of birch and spruce trees lining either side of the tracks here. Saw a whole bunch of quaint looking farm dachas that look a whole lot like Western/Southern Alberta farm houses with one major difference. Here, every house we pass is old and rundown, as if waiting for the national economy to one day soon bounce back – no new paint, harly any new buildings anywhere. In the backyard of many of the houses, however, there is evidence of how sturdy Russians really are when it comes to surviving the tough years. Green houses appear growing who knows what, but surely all is saleable, after feeding the family first.
It was the same where Volodia has his dacha. Well, almost the same. What it looked like to me: these were fancy houses from a time before Peristroika that were abandoned (by former government officials? I was hesitant to ask, actually), and now post peristroka folks with fledgling yet high levels of inititative came by and occupied them and began renovating piece by piece. As in, no money down, no money ever.... I'm just sayin', that's what it looked like to ME.
Some of the places looked very nice with BMW X5's, a couple of topline 2005 merc's, and multicolored 2005 peugeot 307, sport-series cars parked outside of them. One place in particular stood out. It was a corner lot, big, facing the pond, and built into the hill. Every bright red brick on this property exuded a fresh newness and the fences around the places were nice and new with bright black and white chainlink contrasting nicely with the red brick. Two BMW X5's grey and black, completed the scene, gracing the paving stone driveway in a subtle, powerful stance.
As we walked silently by, on our way to the food store, beside the vehicles mentioned above, a couple of big Russian fellers with ripped off sleeve shirts and obligatory tatooes, stood taking a ciggy break, while simultaneously guarding... ...something.
The actual dachas have all been there along time, most of them in the area in different stages of renovation as middle to upper middle-class Russian owners spend time and money each summer to make something of their summer properties. We wanted to see more of Moscow so Volodia based us for two days in his family’s flat. That presented the opportunity to compare his flat and his dacha.
His flat is a typical two bedroom basic unit in Suburbian Moscow. Inside is immaculately clean. Inside is very small compared to a typical two-bedroom apartment in Edmonton's downtown area. The building itself - crap. Smelled like cat-crap in the hall in fact. No building maintenance. The bulb in the lift was burned out. Plaster falling off in great chunks. This was outside in the common area mind you. Two large metal doors with several dead-bolts of various designs lead the way into his flat. Very nice hardwood flooring. Kitchen - lovely. Small but lovely. Very nice SOLID WOOD kitchen cabinets with curved glass in the curved doors - all from Italy, bought at a Buckjivanjees homecenter type place - same kind of place we bought our reno stuff for mom2's balcony revamp. Upright Piano for Olga's lessons now, Phillips surround sound entertainment center, Nice Divan fold out bed in living room. Olga's room - nice size, computer table, one person bed.
Main bedroom - had a balcony for hanging wet cloths. One Bathroom and one toilet. They are seperated and TINY!!! I bumped my head on the door knob of the toilet room all three times in three days that I got up and bent down to pull my pants up upon crap completion. No toilet fans in Russia! I never saw any. Stinky! Luckily, Teute Marina had intervened already by placing an easy to find airfreshener spray can near the toilet! Lucky for the rest of the people in the house.... So that's basically Volodia's flat. They stay there for the convenience of being in Moscow for Volodia's work and for Olga's schooling.
The Dacha is paradise, comparitavely. Big, two story, house. A new billiard table upstairs in the main big room. two bedrooms, living room full bath and russian sauna on the main floor. Besides the pool table room, theres another bedroom upstairs that opens on a landing just where the stairs come up. THe whole dacha upstairs is finished in pinewood panelling and wood laminate flooring. Absolutely nice. Also half bath upstairs. They put us upstairs. Dima in the pool hall, us in the third bedroom. Very nice and peaceful for taking a rest, I tell you.
